Money $marts: Is this presidential election going to be real or unreal

Citizen Contributor,GERRY KRAMER

3:00 AM, Oct 5, 2012

As of the writing of this column, the first presidential debate is tonight and no doubt afterwards the media will be deep into analyzing who won or lost and maybe even spend some time on the issues and what each candidate brings to the table in terms of actual policies that will affect our future. I hope so because the debate so far carried out through ads, commercials and candidate stump speeches is wholly inane, empty of substance and full of deceitful spins on truth.

Admittedly, this is to be expected since presidential elections are very often determined by personal likeability as opposed to substantive positions. On this score, President Barack Obama is the ordinary guy whose heart is in the right place, who connects with the people. Accordingly, he also gives good speeches.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, is like the distant dad, difficult to connect with and not the best communicator. His heart may very well be in the right place, but it's hard to see that through his projected image. Voters too often prefer the heart over the head. Such contrasts are as always superficial and that's a shame. Shedding these shallow images might get us to understanding the true issues enveloping the country and choosing the path and person best suited to address them.

Since healthcare, debt and deficit levels, taxation reform, fiscal and monetary policies in times of recession, financial industry reform and income inequality, to name a few, are complex issues that easily generate yawns of indifference when discussed, it may be beneficial to simplify complexity. To that end, I'll make use of an acronym: REAL, standing for Responsibility, Education, Accountability and Liberty. Getting REAL is what this election is all about. Here goes:

REAL citizens freely assume Responsibility for themselves, their families and for those whom they have chosen to accept such an obligation. There is no "shared" responsibility for the well being of all. If everyone is responsible for everyone else, no one is responsible for anyone. This leaves the people in government to make the choices. Look where that has gotten us.

Responsible citizens pursue Education and lifelong learning, enabling them to make informed choices and better fulfill the obligation of providing and caring for themselves, their families and others freely chosen for this obligation.

Responsible, Educated citizens accept Accountability for their choices and actions knowing that mistakes are part of life; success is impossible without failure. You are not a victim if you accept responsibility and accountability. Responsible, Educated, Accountable citizens demand Liberty, knowing that maximum economic and personal freedoms create maximum prosperity for all.

In the decades past, America basically functioned on these four principles, but we have been moving steadily away from them as more government interference and assumption of responsibility for our lives and choices has evolved. We are at the crossroads. Politics has reached the point of polarity.

There's no middle ground in this election. Getting REAL is one choice. The other is UNREAL, Universal Negation of Responsibility, Education, Accountability and Liberty.